Boys Swallow Stars
by edmidt
Summary: HowlFMA crossover! HowlxEdward. Howl stumbles across Ishbal and saves Ed. Ed tries to enlist Howl to help him find the Philospher's Stone while they proceed to make man love : Rating will go up!
1. Chapter 1

Boys Swallow Stars 

x-over: Howl's Moving Castle/Fullmetal Alchemist

pairing: Edward Elric x Howl

Chapter 1 - Ishbal

It's times like these I wish I had finished my training. I had opened my door, to my dismay, to reveal a world that darkly resembled my own; a town erupting in flame. I heard screaming and watched fireballs whistle their descent through the singing air. My spell had gone slightly awry; I didn't mean to open this place. I wanted to shut the door, erase this new colour from the teleportation wheel, and sit down with tea in front of Calcifer. I was scared, but not of the danger that breathed it's flame at me. I was scared of my own unwillingness to do something about this situation I had revealed to myself, of my apathy towards these people that were being killed.

The door in the hut across from mine opened and two children spilled out, dark skinned and haired, dirty and crying they fled from their home, screaming. They didn't notice me in their terror as they ran down the street and out of sight. Suddenly, my fear was replaced by anger. I was angry at this world for being so self-destructive, causing suffering on all its people, angry at it for revealing itself to me. Now, as a human, I was morally obligated to feel some sort of guilt or pity for this place. I growled and stepped out of my castle. The portal door slammed shut and I looked over my shoulder to observe the piece of shit hut that hid my castle. As I strode down the deserted street, I felt my hate for this putrid place rising and I barely had to concentrate to begin my transformation. The prickling pain swept from my ears downwards and throughout my limbs. Black feathers sprouted where my white skin and clothing used to be and my feet hardened into talons. I wondered, as I did every time, if this was my true form…was this the most suitable "me"? I changed without breaking stride, and as soon as my wings were complete I took flight.

Soaring over the burning city I saw troops marching in groups or prowling streets in pairs. Some parts of the city were dark with night while others where lit up as buildings burned to the ground. I watched two soldiers enter a house that was owned by someone obviously wealthier than those that resided in the huts that surrounded my door. I knew they were entering to ransack the place, and they would kill anyone that was still inside. I realized then that I didn't have any idea of whose side I was on, although the people of this city were likely innocent in their own respects. What kingdom did they belong to and who was attacking them and why? From this height and the darkness I could not see the soldier's uniforms.

I descended to the balcony on the second floor of the rich person's house and moved to a window lit by candlelight. There was no one inside, but it apparently had been recently occupied. There was a desk covered in parchment and books, the chair belonging to it was on its back and a pair of slippers lay askew near it. The room was stuffed with shelves of books, bottle, jars, and what looked like chemistry sets. Several arrays (a few I recognized) were scratched or painted on the walls. I magicked away the glass in the window and climbed onto the sill. I compressed my behemoth bird body as much as I could to fit through the frame and stepped noiselessly onto the floor below. "This person must be a dedicated magic user," I thought, hoping it was a pretty witch.

I followed the sound of voices down the stairs to a dimly lit room where the two soldiers I had seen earlier were struggling with a man who had long, graying hair. The three stopped their struggling when I entered and stared at me.

"Let him go." I growled in my most menacing voice.

The two soldiers didn't hesitate to heed my order and scrambled out of the house. The man looked at me with wide eyes and his knees were shaking. I shuffled towards him, "Get out of here. It's not safe."

"W-what the hell are you?" His eyes flicked over my feathery body.

I shook my head, sending a shower of black feathers around us. "Listen to me! You have got to get out of here before we're both killed!" Outside rang with gunshots and screams.

He stood frozen to the spot, so I pushed him out the door with my head while he uttered a little scream of protest.

"Run," I urged him one last time. Before taking flight, I saw reinforcement troops pounding up the street towards his house.

As I flew I scoured the perimeter of the village. It was a rather large settlement, with a big market and cathedral. Though most of it was aflame by now. Only a few of the villagers remained and they darted like mice between the burning buildings.

A flaming projectile whizzed past me, soaring across the village and into the tree line. It illuminated a small figure, one that looked like a child, stumbling into a tiny clearing and collapsing. I banked and began descending. Once in the trees, I transformed back to my human self and stepped into the clearing. Ash and embers fell around me. He was motionless and as I approached I saw that he was not a child but a teenager. His face was dirty and eyebrows creased together in worry or pain, something about it made him look much older. I knelt beside him and touched his shoulder. I immediately withdrew my hand – his arm was much harder than flesh should be and cold.

"A-Al? Is that you?" He croaked up at me. His eyelids fluttered feebly. He tried to sit up, groaned in pain and fell back onto the sooty grass.

"I tried to tell him…" The boy hoarsed. "But he… wouldn't l-listen."

At the moment I just stared – torn between what to do. I didn't know what to say, if anything at all. My thoughts zipped back to questioning why I felt so obligated to be here. This boy was clearly injured; if I didn't help him, would anyone?

Suddenly soldiers were crashing through the trees. "I heard something through here!" I heard one call to his comrades. They sent off several rounds over our heads. I ducked over the boy instinctively. My heart was pounding, I had to make a decision in that split second before they saw me. The pain prickled over me again and the clearing somehow seemed darker and filled entirely with black feathers. I used my right arm, rapidly turning into a wing to push him onto my giant, still swelling talons. His limp body did not protest.

My second transformation of the evening was almost complete, I was almost ready to fly, when a soldier burst into our tiny, already overcrowded clearing.

"C-chimera…" He looked too stunned to do much of anything but I couldn't help but feel panicked.

They must not see me, they cannot know me. My mind was racing. He raised his gun and I took flight. It was somewhat awkward to ascend, trying to keep hold of my new passenger and dodge the volleys from the soldiers below. I gritted my teeth as he slipped a bit. I could simply drop him, he was probably going to die anyway. I could fly so much faster without him. But then I recognized the hut my door was magicked onto and just dived. Bullets and fire rocketed past us, singing the feathers on my underbelly. As the hut grew bigger and bigger ahead of me. My tail skimmed the ground and the boy's dangling hand scraped pebbles. I squeezed my eyes shut, we were going to crash through it. I wanted it to open, I willed it to be opened.

It flew open with a bang just in time and I crashed into the stairs in front of the door, the momentum carrying me up them and throwing my passenger across the kitchen floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Calcifer awoke with a start, showering sparks across the kitchen. "Howl!! Where in the – What the..!?"

I was out of breath, rumpled, scraped, dirty as hell. I staggered to my feet and swept my hair out of my eyes. I looked over my rescuee, who was unconscious on the floor but his breathing was steadying. He was small, almost child-like but something in his face made it look so warn and aged. Despite my exhaustion, I wished his eyes would open. I wanted to see these heavy burdens a boy could bear, yet I could never possibly understand.

Calcifer let out a low whistle. "He looks hurt, Howl. What are you going to do with him?"

"I'll just put him a spare room for now… I suppose he can rest here until he heals." My tired voice was raspy. I put the kettle on to boil water and bent over the boy again. As gently and carefully as I could I placed one arm under his neck, the other beneath his knees and lifted him – he was surprisingly light, and carried him up the stairs to a dingy, cobwebby room.

When the water had heated up I took a cloth and cleaned his face and neck. A gash in his abdomen had made his torn shirt sticky with blood. I hesitated then, biting my lip and looking over his still figure. The lamp I had brought in cast warm light over his golden hair and too-pale skin. Although I thought him a boy, he was clearly only a couple years younger than I was. I unbuttoned his shirt quickly and whipped it open.

He jerked a bit in pain. The light glinted off his arm. Or where his arm should be. In its place was a metal appendage, a complex piece of machinery bolted to his own flesh. I was revolted and fascinated. I stared at him for far too long – over his mechanical limb, pink nipples and softly defined abdomen marred with caked blood. I shook my head and quickly cast a healing spell. Bandages magicked out of the air and sealed over the already closing wound.

I grabbed the lantern and swept out of the room to my own bed. I sank into it, disturbing several loose black feathers and listening to the soft tick clocks. I wanted to sleep, I wanted to close my eyes but I didn't. I stared out the tiny round window at the fraction of early light creeping above the misty hills. I was deeply perturbed, enrapt in the thoughts of why my normally easy, grand movements had somehow become delicate and almost awkward. Because of this unnamed boy? Why?

And I thought of what I would do when he woke up.

When the sun was completely up, I bathed and dressed and walked to the boy's room. I stood in the doorway – he was sitting up on the bed looking down and gently prodding his bandages.

"Good morning." I said a little too loudly.

He jumped. "Who the hell are you? And where am I?" He was looking up at me with honey golden eyes but his face was hard and defensive.

"I am Howl, the wizard that owns this castle. As to where we are exactly, right now…" I took two steps towards the window and squinted. "I'm not quite sure." I flashed the most charming grin, I am sure, but he only seemed to become more irate.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He jumped off the bed and stood with his hands his hips. "And where in God's name is my brother? And were you the one that stripped me?"

"Stripped you?" I gasped, offended. "I saved your life! Now I suggest you learn some manners promptly or you won't be getting any breakfast. Which, by the way, will be served downstairs in approximately ten minutes." I huffed and whirled away to the kitchen.

"I don't want your crappy food! WIZARD!" He hollered after me, mockingly spitting the last word.

I cooked myself breakfast over Calcifer and sat down to eat, knowing the greasy smell must be wafting up to my rude rescuee's room. It wasn't long before I heard tentative footsteps on the stairs. I looked up and he stood meekly on the landing, eyes cast downwards.

"Oh, it's you." I stated boredly.

"I'm sorry," He muttered. "My intense hunger was causing me to yell." I could tell he was trying to be polite even though he still managed to mimic my stoic mannerisms. I smothered a chuckle and pushed a previously prepared plate towards him. He limped over, clearly still hurting from the precious evening. He eased down on the bench opposite to me and shoveled the entire plate's contents into his mouth at once. While taking bites of my toast I sneaked peeks at his mechanical arm – clearly visible, as now he wore no shirt at all.

"What? You ain't ever seen automail 'afore?" He barked, spraying food at me.

"Pardon me? I don't think I understood half of what you just said." I dabbed at my face with a napkin.

"I got another one here –" He stood with some difficulty, yanking up his pant leg and showed me his other shiny metal limb. He explained to me, at length, what automail was and where it came from and how painful it was, exactly, to have it attached.

"Amazing. What happened to your real limbs?"

He looked at me, and then down again. "Does it really matter? What is done is done." He glanced up from under his eyelashes. "Why did you bring me here?"

I leaned back. "I'm not really sure. I thought you were going to die…"

"So did I…" His hand drifted to his bandage.

"What were you doing in such horrible, bloody place? You're too young to be involved in wars."

He scoffed. "For your information I am fifteen years old and I am a State Alchemist, thank YOU! Not that you're in any place to be calling someone young." He gave me a distasteful up-and-down. He began to shout at me more but he suddenly starting coughing and wheezing in pain. He clutched his stomach and I saw his bandages we soaking up blood rapidly spreading from the re-opened wound.

I dragged him upstairs and back to his room. Mercilessly, I ripped off the soaked bandages and began a new healing spell. When it was rebandaged I pushed him down onto the pillow.

"You should rest some more." I forced it out as plainly as possible. I couldn't look in his eyes, my heart was pounding. I had been scared, so scared when he started bleeding.

"I'm alright…" He muttered. "T-thank you."

"You're welcome…" I tried to smile.

"Edward." He piped up. "It's Edward Elric."


End file.
